Celtics fans have an all new reason to be excited about Nikola Vucevic

The TD Garden crowd let out a loud “Vooooooch” as Nikola Vucevic headed to the bench for the final time midway through the fourth quarter of the Boston Celtics’ dominant 148-111 win over the Brooklyn Nets. Vucevic had just put a cap on what was his best game as a Celtic so far.

He poured in 28 points, ripped down 11 rebounds, and dished four assists on an efficient 9-13 from the field. It was his first 20+-point game in green, and his first double-digit performance since coming back from the All-Star break.

“It’s been pretty good,” he said of his first few weeks in Boston. “I’m still getting used to, obviously, the new offense and all my teammates and learning their tendencies and things like that, finding my ways.”

The timing of Vucevic’s outburst couldn’t have come at a better time. He bounced back with grace after a rough 1-7 performance in Wednesday’s loss to the Denver Nuggets. Friday outing was the exact opposite. Not only did the 35-year-old convert his own looks, his overall presence fueled the team’s offensive flow.

Vucevic organically became an offensive focal point for the Celtics

“I thought Vuc looked really comfortable,” Joe Mazzulla pointed out unprompted during his postgame press conference. “It was his offensive reads, his setting of screens, it unlocked a lot for us.”

Vucevic’s screens consistently forced the Nets to switch a smaller defender onto him. When they did, he either punished them in the post, or swung the ball to the open man when they sent double-teams his way.

The ball found his hands just about every time down the floor once he checked in off the bench. By the time the first-quarter buzzer sounded, the two-time All-Star already hit double digits with 10 points. According to Mazzulla, the extra attention wasn’t by design, it was just what the game called for.

“I thought the reads called for it,” Mazzulla said of Vuc’s early attention in the win. “I thought our screen-setting was good, his screening was good. I thought we found the advantage quickly and we just kept hammering it. It’s a credit to him and his screening and his execution, and then to the guys finding the advantages to make plays for himself or for others.”

That reality is probably the most optimal for the Celtics. Think about it. If they weren’t able to get Vucevic cooking without force feeding him, it’d bring the offense to a screeching halt every time he’s in the game.

Vucevic is still learning to be aggressive in Boston

Instead, his dominant performance came in the flow of the game. None of it felt forced -- the ideal opportunity for Boston’s No. 4.

“At times, I feel like I overthink a little bit, which makes me kind of hesitant and takes away my aggressiveness,” Vucevic explained to reporters in the Celtics’ locker room. “I feel like tonight, I was just able to put a little more together and just play off my teammates.”

That’s the ultimate goal for Vuc and the Cs as he continues to acclimate to the new environment. As a player whose basketball IQ and playmaking ability separate him from others at his position, Vucevic will be able to impact winning at a higher level as he gets more comfortable in Boston.

Take this for example. He and Derrick White see their action blown up by Brooklyn, so they’re both able to pivot and create an alternative open look for Vucevic.

“Every day is a day we get better,” Jaylen Brown said of that process. “So continuing to find him in his spots and allow him to feel more comfortable is big time for our team and today was a great step forward.”

The more Vucevic can be organically aggressive, the better.

“I like to see him aggressive,” Brown continued. “I think that's a good sign for us, especially when teams are trying to double.”